Feel-good Friday #15
Food, news and a Rumi quote to spark joy.
Hello!
This week I am pressed for time, but I wanted to share three things to motivate, console and comfort — as I do every Friday here in my little corner of Substack — to help you find happiness and feel less alone. I want to provide ideas, resources and micro habits to help you choose joy, especially when life’s a bit sh*t and overwhelming (which, let’s face it, it quite often is).
Thank you to all my new followers for joining me here. Soon I am going to share more on BOOKS — the books that have changed my life, altered my perspective and taught me cool stuff. So stay tuned.
If you like my recommendations, please do share this newsletter and help me grow.
Remember to respect your boundaries, look after yourself and never be afraid to say no.
Stay well —
Liz
Food that sparks joy. I really related to this article from the Guardian by Rachel Cooke, writing about how tiny, simple flavour combinations and unfussy, tasty morsels can bring us unfettered joy. Even if you’re not talented in the kitchen, there’s nothing like a simple dish or snack to spark joy and bring us comfort. Think about the pleasure in assembling a comforting autumnal plate of a hunk of cheddar, some homemade (by someone else) chutney, a cut-up apple and a couple of crackers, or the satisfaction in dipping a sourdough soldier into a ‘dippy egg’ as we call them in our house, or enjoying a steaming bowl of homemade leek and potato soup at the kitchen table while the wind blows outside. These micro moments of joy are what life is all about.
‘I don’t want to sound like some awful self-help guru … but a great thing about food is that you can use it to spark joy at relatively low cost’
Looking for a new kind of news? Perhaps something less relentlessly awful? Check out The Know on Instagram — ‘Helping you feel better about the news’. In their words, ‘We’re a female-founded, purpose-driven media company on a mission to help people feel better about the news. We publish a free, daily newsletter to keep people informed about what’s happening around the world - without jargon, scaremongering and hyperbole.’ Sign me up.
Quote of the week. This one really got to me. I could write a lot about imposter syndrome. I think a lot of women probably could. I’ll save it for now because, time, but park that thought. I am taking micro steps towards being bolder, braver and putting myself out there without worrying so much about what others think. It ain’t always easy. But I’ll try and bear Rumi’s quote in mind.
Have a good week. Stay well. x